IIASA has a long and successful history of developing systems-based, integrated solutions and policy advice for some of the world’s most pressing problems. The strategic plan for 2011-2020, Research for a Changing World, responds to an increasingly globalized world that is characterized by fundamental shifts in economic and political power, growing global environmental problems, and potentially explosive social conflicts.
The IIASA research framework, discussed in detail in the Research Plan 2016-2020, shows how the institute provides the holistic, systems analysis approach that is needed:
The new plan moves away from the idea that problems (such as climate change) are separate from drivers (such as population growth) or from impacts (such as environmental degradation). Problems, drivers, and impacts are in fact closely related elements of systems analysis and achieving true sustainability requires an approach that can link diverse dynamic systems.
To enable this, IIASA has multiple major research initiatives that are designed to work at the intersection of global issues, in addition to internally funded, methodology-focused projects that cut across several disciplines.
The substantial impact of IIASA research in the last five years ranges from shaping EU air pollution policy to providing results that were central to the Paris climate summit negotiations. These highlights are detailed in Research for a Changing World – IIASA Highlights 2011-2015.
Last edited: 07 April 2016
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313